The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Are Bikes Becoming Too Popular in DC?

Katie Rogers reports on Washington D.C.'s struggles with a burgeoning bicycle culture, as incidents of accidents, harassment, and intimidation rise.

March 22 - The Washington Post

Creating Inviting Pedestrian Streets in the Heart of Mexico City

Noah Kazis considers three success stories for public space in Mexico City, taking streets back from both automobiles and – believe it or not – street vendors.

March 22 - Streetsblog

Reading America Through the Eyes of an Outsider

Gabrielle Esperdy tags along on the travels of Reyner Banham, the British historian and critic of modern architecture and design, connecting them to the great historical travel accounts of Europeans abroad in America.

March 22 - Places

Capturing Carbon in Rocks Gains Traction

Michael Coren explores a potentially solid idea for carbon sequestration - turning our greenhouse gas emissions into underground rock formations.

March 22 - Fast Coexist

How Green Building Is Transforming Real Estate

William Pentland notes a crescendo in the clamor for green buildings in the upscale, commercial market.

March 22 - Forbes


Housing and Resilience

As part of its "Future Tense" initiative with the New America Foundation, Slate is exploring the concept of resilience. In this article, Patrick Doherty makes the case for improving America's resilience by reconsidering suburban development.

March 22 - Slate.com

Hitting The Sweet Spot In Regional Planning

The Sacramento, California, region may be witnessing a minor planning miracle: a regional sustainability plan lauded by developers, environmentalists, and civic officials alike.

March 22 - California Planning & Development Report


Transportation Experts See Bright Future for Rail

Jeff McMahon explores the potential of passenger rail in coming years as automobiles and airplanes "become a little more obsolete."

March 21 - Forbes

Rethinking Growth-Oriented Planning

David Morley, AICP, asks if growth is a necessary prerequisite for long-term community health and prosperity, and whether it might be possible to rethink "the dominant planning paradigm in the United States."

March 21 - APA Sustaining Places

The Challenges of Memorializing

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington DC, and observations from a recent trip to Japan, Christopher Hawthorne pens an opinion piece on memorials - the "eternally fraught corner of design practice.

March 21 - Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

Avoiding Logical Fallacies in Planning

<p class="MsoNormal"> Our profession relies on logical analysis of accurate data. There are an amazing number of ways to go wrong. </p>

March 21 - Todd Litman

San Francisco Pilot Parking Program Watched By Other Cities

The search for an available parking space in most busy downtowns can be frustrating, especially when the motorist insists on parking for free. For those cities that do charge for parking, can a variable price free-up spaces? SF hopes to prove so.

March 21 - The New York Times - U.S.

The Greenest Cities on the Planet

In a piece for GE's <em>Ecomagination</em>, Michael d'Estries takes a look at five cities that set the bar for cutting carbon, recycling waste, and making space for Mother Nature.

March 21 - Ecomagination

Innovative Solutions for Housing the Homeless

In this piece, <em>Web Urbanist</em> has compiled fourteen "smart & sensitive" design solutions for providing housing for the homeless.

March 21 - Web Urbanist

Seeking Visions for the Future of Design and Planning in NYC

Looking back on the remarkable transformation of urban life in New York during Mayor Bloomberg's administration, William Menking wonders what the next mayor will do to support design and planning in the city.

March 21 - The Architect's Newspaper

Reducing the Pain of Living in Beijing

The Chinese government is taking productive steps to reduce the runaway congestion and air pollution that are making Beijing unlivable, writes Heshuang Zeng.

March 21 - The City Fix

Visualizing the Growth of the World's Urban Population

An interactive visualization recently released by Unicef presents a startling picture of the world's urban population growth from 1950 to 2050. Mark Wilson deconstructs its implications.

March 21 - Fast Company Co:Design

Excavating the Foundation of LA's Sprawl

Ever wonder why Los Angeles looks the way it does? Jeremy Rosenberg examines 1908's Residence District Ordinance as one of the principal culprits in the newest addition to the "Laws That Shaped L.A." series.

March 21 - KCET Departures

Is the Housing Crisis Easing?

Robert Cyran and Agnes T. Crane discuss the changing dynamics of the U.S. housing market and suggest that reduced inventories, pent-up demand and an improved employment outlook may mean more stability.

March 20 - Slate.com

Cities Reach Out to Private Sector to Solve Fiscal Challenges

Kirk Victor examines the new and risky roads many cities are taking to get immediate access to capital in order to finance their fiscal challenges.

March 20 - Governing

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